This Michigan Cherry Oat Bar Recipe is made with hearty oats and sour cherries. In these rich cherry oat bars, the sour cherries provide the perfect balance to the buttery oat bar exterior.
All About Sour Cherries
Sour cherries are the key ingredient in this Michigan Chery Oat Bar recipe. What we commonly call “sour cherries” or “tart cherries” are in fact cherries of the Montmorency variety, as opposed to their sweeter cousins, Morello cherries. Montmorency cherries are named after a suburb of Paris, where they are grown, but this varietal is also very common in Eastern Europe, Canada, Northern Michigan, and Wisconsin. Unlike their sweet counterparts, sour cherries are made for baking. Juicy Michigan cherries hold up beautifully when canned, made into jam, and added into any old baked good. They get less watery than readily available frozen cherries or fresh cherries, and have a strong cherry flavor, with just a hint of tartness.
Beyond the Cherry Bars
We love making bar cookies. They are quick and easy, and produce a sturdy, durable dessert — a total winner for taking on picnics, lunch boxes, or out on the road. Here are a few more favorites:
Very Cherry Recipe
Love cherries? So do we! Here are some more of our favorites.
Useful Tools for Making This Michigan Cherry Oat Bar Recipe
Michigan Cherry Oat Bar Recipe
Equipment
- 8 x 8 inch square pan
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups quick oats
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup 1 stick butter at room temperature
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 1 cup sour cherries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and line an 8 x 8 inch pan or baking dish with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, cream together the brown sugar and the butter until smooth.
- Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extracts and mix until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients (oats, flour, baking soda, salt) and stir until just combined.
- Remove 2/3 of the oat mixture from the bowl and press into the bottom of the pan.
- Top the bottom crust with the cherries. Dot the remaining mixture over the top of the cherries.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in a preheated oven until the buttery streusel on top is golden brown. Let cool on wire rack, then cut into bars.
- These bars are best served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- These oat bars keep well for several days wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or in an airtight container.